PUSD gets new SRO

Officer William Schuldies is an 18 year veteran.

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PAGE – Students and teachers within the Page Unified School District are not the only ones celebrating the beginning of the new school year. The Page Police Department is also celebrating with a new school resource officer.


Page Police Officer William J. Schuldies was appointed school resource officer for the Page Unified School District.


Schuldies, an 18-year veteran police officer, began his career in law enforcement at the Page Police Department in 1997 and then transferred the following year to the Sierra Vista Police Department in southern Arizona, where he served as a school resource officer at Buena Vista High School from 2004 to 2007.


After three years at Buena Vista High, Schuldies became a civilian defense contractor for the U.S. Army, a position that allowed him to continue working with law enforcement, until 2010.


Schuldies returned to Lake Powell Country in 2011 and now he is looking forward to his new assignment for PUSD.  


“I’m excited about it,” Schuldies told the Lake Powell Chronicle on Tuesday morning.


Schuldies says his new position allows him to move continuously through the six schools within PUSD, whereas he did not get that advantage at Buena Vista High of about 1,000 students.


This is the first time in five years that the police department appointed a school resource officer, according to Schuldies. The last police officer to hold this position was Page Police Sgt. Marietta Ann Lange.


The school resource officer program was resuscitated through an intergovernmental agreement between the police department and PUSD, said Page Police Detective Terry TerEick. The agreement was approved by the City Council and the PUSD board members.


“The mission of the (school resource officer) program is to contribute to an orderly, purposeful atmosphere,” TerEick said in a statement, “which promotes the feeling of safety conductive to teaching and learning on school campuses in the City of Page.”


Schuldies says he is now looking forward to getting into the classrooms to present violence prevention, such as bullying and alcohol-related incidents.


“It’s going to be exciting,” Schuldies said.


TerEick added that the Page Police Department is committed to working with the PUSD to provide a safe work zone for teachers, staff, students.


Page Police Chief Frank Balkcom Sr. also thanks the PUSD board and the City Council for their partnership in getting this agreement done.